SDLP nominates three members to police board

The SDLP has nominated three members to the Policing Board, making it the first party to do so before last night's nomination…

The SDLP has nominated three members to the Policing Board, making it the first party to do so before last night's nomination deadline.

The SDLP appointees are South Down MP Mr Eddie McGrady; the party chairman, Mr Alex Attwood; and the West Tyrone MLA, Mr Joe Byrne.

Sinn Fein has refused to make its two nominations, saying the proposed policing service would not provide the "genuinely democratic and accountable" policing demanded by the community. The party would not encourage nationalists to join or co-operate with the service, Sinn Fein president Mr Gerry Adams said. Mr McGrady said the community had over recent months expressed growing confidence in how the SDLP had worked to secure a new beginning to policing.

"The SDLP nominations to the Policing Board will pursue our party's agenda with vigour and vigilance enabling nationalist experience to inform and Patten to prevail in the decisions of the board," he said.

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Since deciding to join, the party had held talks with police chiefs, the Ombudsman and the Human Rights Commission on issues such as accountability, a neutral working environment and plastic bullets, which needed to be replaced with a "non-lethal alternative" as soon as possible.

Rejecting Sinn Fein criticism that his party had made the wrong decision by joining the Police Board, Mr McGrady accused republicans of adopting a "partial and piecemeal attitude" to the new police service. Any attempt by republicans to intimidate members of the nationalist community into a boycott of the service was no different to the tactics of loyalist pickets at Holy Cross Primary School in north Belfast, he added.

Earlier, Sinn Fein reaffirmed its decision not to nominate to the board, saying it would continue to "campaign assertively for an accountable and representative police service free from partisan political control".

Meanwhile, in the SDLP leadership race, three candidates yesterday declared their intention to stand for deputy leader. They are the party's Agriculture Minister, Ms Brid Rodgers, the Higher Education Minister, Dr Sean Farren, and a Junior Minister, Mr Denis Haughey. Mr Alban Maginness may also contest the post, leaving the Finance Minister, Mr Mark Durkan, currently as the only candidate for the party leadership.